Using Google Glass as a HUD for gun-mounted cameras

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For most people, Google Glass is a $1,500 toy, and for good reason. The hardware isn’t quite ready for prime time, the software is a little buggy on good days and kind of a mess on bad days, and if you missed it earlier the price tag is still $1,500. That’s before you look at earbuds or any other accessories for the platform. Developers are still hard at work to create purposes for this new kind of wearable technology, while Google remains hard at work preparing it for public release. Meanwhile, over at TrackingPoint Labs, there’s a use case that, for some reason, no one else has really thought of yet.

We’ve seen HUDs for gun-mounted cameras before, but what makes this solution unique is the kind of display Glass uses in order to function. Google Glass has a mostly transparent display even when there are images being displayed, unlike many other HUDs which obscure your field of vision when in use. In situations where this technology would be used, like active combat, Glass would be a safer alternative for precision shooting around corners and through difficult terrain.

This isn’t the first time Google Glass has been suggested for military or police purposes. There are police forces currently using Glass, and several military groups around the world have considered technology like Glass for soldiers in the field. It’s unlikely that TrackingPoint will ever make this app public for Glass, but the demonstration clearly identifies a non-consumer use case that can’t be ignored.